Touch Typing is an Invaluable Skill

Today's post is sponsored by www.typekids.com

Touch typing is an invaluable skill in today's world, this is a skill currently used more than cursive.  As times have changed, more and more of the day to day living is done via keyboard, and without the ability to type correctly, there can be issues.  Personally I have people in my life who cannot type more than hunt and peck.  This slows down their ability to communicate effectively with those around them via electronic means.  

Personally I type at about 100 plus words per minute with a low error rate.  With a higher error rate I can top well over 120 words a minute.  However, due to my age this is a skill I started working on in 7th grade.  Before that computers were not really a part of my everyday life.  By the time I entered high school I could type about 70 wpm.  Even then I learned that I was not fast enough to do everything that I needed done.  Collage was when I really started to pick up speed.  It has been proven that the later someone starts to learn a skill the longer it takes.  This means that to get the best results a child needs to start learning a skill around 3 to 7 years of age.  

There are programs available for those that want to train themselves to type better or want to teach their child how to type.  www.typekids.com is one of those programs.  I was able to try the exercises and managed to get through pretty well, however, even I made mistakes.  I longer I worked at it the better I got.  If it works for someone in their 30's, then imagine what it can do for someone who is in the perfect age range to learn.  

If you only want to give it a shot before you buy, most of these programs including Type Kids allow so many lessons to be given as a free trial.  This should help give you an idea of how the program will work and if it is the best program for you. 

After each "lesson" I was able to do a fun game that helped reinforce what I had been learning.  I think that type programs are imperative to helping our youth get along in the "digital age".

For more information about Typing lessons for kids please click the link. 

So I have a basic question for everyone, at what age did you learn how to type?